EMP Lodge Series (Book 1): Dark Retreat Read online

  DARK RETREAT

  EMP LODGE SERIES BOOK ONE

  GRACE HAMILTON

  CONTENTS

  EMP Lodge

  EMP Retreat

  Blurb

  Thank you

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  End of ‘Dark Retreat’

  Thank you!

  EMP LODGE

  Dark Retreat

  Dark Capture

  Dark Defiance

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, FEBRUARY 2017

  Copyright © 2017 Relay Publishing Ltd.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, published, distributed, displayed, performed, copied or stored for public or private use in any information retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, including electronically or digitally on the Internet or World Wide Web, or over any network, or local area network, without written permission of the author.

  www.relaypub.com

  EMP LODGE SERIES BOOK ONE

  BY GRACE HAMILTON

  BLURB

  Three months after life as she knows it was decimated, Megan Wolford has only one goal: protect her daughter, Caitlin, at any cost. When a mysterious illness strikes Caitlin down, Megan is forced to forage for medical supplies at a remote lodge. The last thing she wants is help from her fellow survivors when so many in her life have let her down—but soon she'll find herself with no other option.

  Ex-Navy SEAL Wyatt Morris is doing everything he can to hold his family together after the tragic death of his prepper Dad, so when Megan enters their lands, he is mistrustful at first despite feeling drawn to her. He won't turn away an ill child though--no matter how deadly the world has become. But the arrival of another stranger named Kyle soon gives them all a new reason to be suspicious. Wyatt knows he’ll have to forge alliances in order to keep his family safe, but trusting the wrong person could be a deadly mistake.

  When Megan and Wyatt discover her daughter’s illness may be linked to Kyle’s arrival, it sets off a race to discover the truth before it’s too late to save Caitlin—and the rest of the Morris clan. Can they work together for survival . . . and something more?

  Thank you for purchasing ‘Dark Retreat’

  (EMP Lodge Series Book One)

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  1

  Megan Wolford stumbled over a rock and nearly dropped her daughter before she quickly regained her footing. The sight of a log cabin through the trees had given her a boost of adrenaline and she found she was practically running through the damp forest despite her heavy burden.

  She had fallen several times, bruising her knees and twisting her ankle. Her arms had deep cuts from tree branches that showed no mercy. There wasn’t exactly a trail to follow, which meant she was cutting through the heart of the forest and its unforgiving terrain. She was making her own way, as usual, which always seemed to be far harder than it had to be.

  “Caitlin, hold on, baby. Hold on,” she whispered to the lifeless seven-year-old in her arms.

  Megan was doing her best not to panic, but Caitlin had collapsed a couple miles back and she had been carrying the sleeping child ever since. Carrying her where she didn’t know, but now that she saw what appeared to be a hunting lodge of some sort in front of her, she had a destination in mind. She had a goal.

  It gave her something to focus on other than the agony that was tearing through her entire body. Another tree branch slapped her in the face, making her wince in pain. Her physical discomfort was nothing compared to the emotional anguish she felt at the thought of losing her daughter. Caitlin was the only thing she had left in this world. She couldn’t lose her.

  Her arms were burning and her lungs felt like they would collapse, but nothing would stop her from getting her daughter to what she hoped would be medicine. Without it, Megan knew her only child would die.

  She didn’t have a clue what had made her so sick, but Caitlin was gravely ill. In the past twenty-four hours, her daughter went from bubbly and energetic to lethargic and weak. Megan had left their most recent camp in the hopes of finding something to help her. They’d walked through one small town yesterday and found nothing. Every single place she checked had been emptied already forcing them to travel for miles.

  She was afraid to walk through the city streets overrun with looters. Megan knew it wasn’t safe for her and definitely not for Caitlin. It wasn’t as if she could leave her daughter alone while she went on a scavenging mission. She had to do it with Caitlin or not all. Common sense told her she didn’t have the strength to fight off the hundreds and thousands of other people vying for the same basic supplies. Instead, she had decided to head out of town in the hopes of finding clinics, stores, and homes in more rural areas that weren’t as likely to be quite so dangerous.

  Megan took long strides, slightly shifting her daughter, as she kept moving forward. Her sweaty hands were making it difficult for her to hold on to Caitlin. Gripping her hands together under her daughter’s backside, Megan pressed on.

  She tried to protect her daughter’s head as best she could from the branches and sharp twigs that seemed to be jumping out and stabbing the intruders in the forest. Another branch hooked her sleeve, scratching painfully at the skin beneath and she could feel blood trickling down her arm, towards her fingers. She wanted to scream at the trees and order them to stop their assault.

  Her back was killing her with the awkward posture of leaning back to keep her daughter secured against her chest. The weight of her pack helped pull her backwards, but also put more strain on her hips. She was grateful to have had an old hiking pack in the closet. The internal frame made it easier for Megan to carry it and allowed her to carry a lot more without much additional strain. She didn’t know if she would have been able to carry her daughter and her supplies without it. Right now, she was grateful the pushy salesman had persuaded her to spend the extra money on the pack.

  Regardless, everything hurt. She could feel dried blood on her bare arms pulling the fine hairs whenever Caitlin’s body rubbed against the cuts, further adding to the misery. Each twist tore open the dried wounds, causing them to start bleeding again.

  She had fallen several times, catching herself with one arm and holding her daughter with the other. She could tell her left knee was swollen. It was stiff and difficult to bend. It didn’t matter. Her daughter’s life was all that mattered.

  “Just a few more steps,” Megan chanted more for her own benefit than her unconscious daughter.


  She was thankful the weather had been mild. It was mid-spring in the northwest, but there were still little piles of snow in the shady areas. Climbing steadily uphill, her overused muscles screamed at her to take a break but she knew if she did, she wouldn’t be able to get back up again. The cabin ahead was growing steadily larger as her strides ate up the distance. Because of the harsh winter storms, mountain residents were prepared to outlast storms for weeks at a time, which meant they would have supplies, including medicine.

  If it had been more than the mild seventy degrees that it currently was, Megan wasn’t sure she could have walked as far as she did. As it was, she was sweating and the growing fatigue was partly dehydration. Her daughter’s feverish body was like carrying a giant lava rock. In addition to finding shelter and medicine, they needed water. The little water she had wouldn’t last long; especially if Caitlin woke and needed it.

  She had eaten the last of the food she had managed to scrounge up at an abandoned home earlier that morning. Megan was now running on empty and knew her collapse would mean her daughter’s life. Push, Megan. Push.

  When she got within three hundred feet of the cabin, she stopped to survey the property, staying partially hidden in the surrounding trees. If someone was here, it could go either way. Unfortunately, the new world was not kind. You didn’t simply knock on a stranger’s door to beg for food and water.

  Not now.

  Not after the EMP had plunged the world into the biggest blackout, humankind had ever experienced.

  At least those who had grown up with electricity. Pioneers would do okay in this world, but for those who had never learned how to work with their hands or hunt for food, this was a form of population control that no one wanted to face. Those who didn’t know how to perform some of the most basic skills were suffering.

  Megan had seen more dead in the past few weeks than the living. After the first dozen or so, she thought she’d grow immune to the horror of death and could simply move quickly past but the smell reminded her of what it meant to be alive as her gag reflex kicked in.

  This new world meant that only the fittest, strongest and most prepared would survive.

  2

  Several years prior, there were outcries of the potential devastation that would occur as a result of an EMP that covered a large geography but naysayers quickly shot the idea down despite the very real risk, either naturally occurring or manmade.

  When the blast did come, no one realized that the blackout was worldwide because there was no way to get global news. In fact, for many, they still don’t know what happened or why.

  If we were going to point fingers, it could be at the overly consumeristic market that pushed for more and better electronics at the cost of potential safeguards. After all, if they built the products too well, that would reduce their consumer base since consumers wouldn’t constantly strive for the biggest and next best thing. Add in aging infrastructure and outdated equipment and the world was ripe for destruction even if our enemy was yet unnamed.

  At first, many treated it as permission to party, but soon looting began to take place. Those in the cities made the mistake of going after what was considered a commodity—precious metals, jewels, electronics—but as starvation began to set in, for many, it was already too late. Those who had figured out what was going on were quickly stocking up on weapons and ammunition, as well as food, water, and medical supplies.

  That’s when the real violence set in, between the haves and have-nots. If you were unlucky enough to be considered weak, you became a casualty of those fighting to survive. Megan had seen it first hand, coming across fights for canned food and other supplies. She quickly learned not to look as though she had anything of value on her; especially when she had her daughter with her.

  Those familiar with growing their own food and living off the land were thriving. Megan had seen a few farms on her travels but despite repeat attempts to get assistance, they were quick to turn her away as she, more than once, found herself on the wrong end of a gun. Strangers were not welcome. Trust was a pricey commodity that most could ill-afford.

  Megan wasn’t exactly a survivalist, but she did know how to hunt. She wasn’t thriving, but she had been getting by—until now.

  In the beginning, Megan and many of her neighbors that stayed put banded together in the hopes of securing their survival but after one too many groups descended on their small town like locusts in search of supplies, the destruction that followed in their wake grew progressively worse with each new group.

  The quiet little town she had called home for two years became a war zone and Megan knew she had to get Caitlin out of there; their very survival depended on it.

  Her goal was to keep heading north, into the mountains where those once living in urban settings would likely avoid. Living in the northern mountains was hard, both the climate and the land was unforgiving, making it seem less amenable to the large numbers of urban and suburban survivors. Granted that didn’t mean they would be safe. She knew that eventually looters would make their way into less accessible environments but hopefully by then, Caitlin would be better and they would have moved on.

  Not seeing anyone around, Megan moved closer to the cabin, praying it was empty. Shuffling Caitlin in her arms, she looked frantically about to find a way in. There were no large windows on the ground floor that she could see. They didn’t need any considering the entire front of the second story was windows that stretched to a high peak in the center. She imagined high cathedral ceilings with plenty of natural light pouring in.

  The cabin was built in front of a large hill. Megan assumed she was looking at the front of the home, but was perplexed there wasn’t a door. Scouting around, she didn’t see a door on the side either.

  Who would put a door in the back, facing the hill?

  Carrying Caitlin, she walked closer to the over-sized cabin and finally saw a door. It was made to look like the log walls of the cabin making it tough to see from a distance. Under different circumstances, Megan had to admire the work they put into making the cabin appear inaccessible but right now, all she wanted was to find an easy way in.

  Hoping for a miracle, Megan awkwardly used one hand to try the doorknob while holding Caitlin close against her chest.

  Locked.

  Of course. Sure, the end of the world as they all knew it had happened, but people still locked their doors. Actually, it was more important than ever that people locked up their belongings. Looters, starving and desperate for the most basic supplies, were ruthless. Megan understood the locked door, but it still ticked her off. The door was solid and Megan knew there was no way she was getting through it.

  She quickly scanned the area and spotted a copse of birch trees off to the left of the property. Megan quickly walked over and carefully placed her daughter on the ground, next to an iron bench. She imagined that once upon a time this would have been a beautiful place to sit and read a good book. For most, reading had become a luxury and for those who only read digital books, it was now impossible. From the looks of the overgrown plants around the cabin, it had clearly not been taken care of for years, which gave her hope the place was abandoned.

  Abandoned meant there wouldn’t be anyone to harass or hurt them. It would be a struggle with only her daughter for company or help but it was safer than what was going on in the more populated areas. Megan rubbed her arms to ward off the shiver at how dangerous the world had become in a matter of weeks and how much worse it was going to get.

  She brushed the dark hair back from Caitlin’s brow, “I will be right back. You stay right here.” The words were out of habit because it was obvious Caitlin wasn’t going anywhere and wouldn’t even know her mother was gone.

  Dropping her pack next to her daughter, Megan instinctively crouched low and stayed light on her feet as she crept towards the cabin. It was only two stories high, but the huge peak in the center made it appear much bigger. As she rounded the corner, her heart sank. The place had clearly been
looted already. Garbage was strewn about and it appeared there had actually been a fire. Someone had already come through this area and taken all the food.

  There were glass shards all over the ground and a piece of plywood over what was apparently a broken window. She quickly glanced back to check on Caitlin before going around the back. There were some broken chairs lying on the ground. Megan spotted a door with two pieces of plywood on either side, covering more broken windows. Someone had gone through the effort to board them up—why? She scanned the back wall and saw a couple of small circular windows that were far too small for a person to fit through, which was probably why the glass was still in place.

  Had the boarding up been completed recently or was it done before the EMP struck three months ago? She hesitated. What if someone was living here and waiting inside?

  Megan took a split second to make her decision. Her daughter’s life was at stake. She would take her chances. She tried the handle, knowing it wouldn’t budge, but twisted it anyway. She could always hope fate was kind. This time, she wasn’t going to let a locked door stop her. It wasn’t solid like the one in the front. She had to try.

  Standing on her left leg, she raised her right leg and gave the door a good, hard kick. Her boots added more force to the kick. The door held. Megan kicked again and again. She could not give up. Her knee and ankle felt as if someone had stuck a knife into the joints with each kick, but she didn’t care. This was her only hope to get help for her daughter. They had been traveling all day and with nightfall coming and the temperature dropping, she was going to get inside one way or another.

  After another kick that proved futile, Megan took a step back. She bent over at the waist, taking a few deep breaths.

  “Please, God. Help me get this door open.” Ever since she was a little girl, she had been called stubborn. Her ex-husband, Derick, repeatedly told her he hated how obstinate she could be. In the almost thirty-two years she had been on this earth, her stubbornness had only gotten stronger. This was one time she was very happy to be stubborn. She was not going to give up.